Senator Righter has worked to expand the [[SunshineReview:Illinois Freedom of Information Act|Illinois Freedom of Information Act]] for increased government accountability, advocated for the greater use of ethanol and other renewable fuels, and worked to legislate better newborn screening to take advantage of increased medical technology.<ref name="bio"/>

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Senator Righter has worked to expand the [[Illinois Freedom of Information Act|Illinois Freedom of Information Act]] for increased government accountability, advocated for the greater use of ethanol and other renewable fuels, and worked to legislate better newborn screening to take advantage of increased medical technology.<ref name="bio"/>

Righter earned his Bachelor's in Accounting from Eastern Illinois University in 1988, and his J.D. from St. Louis University in 1991. His professional experience includes working as an attorney and part-time college instructor.[1]

Committee assignments

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Righter served on the following committees:

Issues

Senator Righter has worked to expand the Illinois Freedom of Information Act for increased government accountability, advocated for the greater use of ethanol and other renewable fuels, and worked to legislate better newborn screening to take advantage of increased medical technology.[1]

Medicaid

The Illinois Senate approved a Medicaid measure projected to save $800 million during the next five years.

House Bill 5420 would move half of the state’s 2.8 million Medicaid participants into “coordinated” or managed care between 2011 and 2015. This is a far stretch from the 195,000 participants who now are assigned to a primary “medical home.”

Lawmakers had to tighten the $14 billion state-federal health care system in December and were still hashing out the details in early January 2011.

“This is probably not a bill that any one of us on this committee would write. But that’s the nature of compromise,” said State Sen. Heather Steans. “I think where we are and what we’re going to see, though, is something that really does put the state and our Medicaid system in a much better place down the line.”

In 2014, low-income single adults will be eligible to enroll for the federal option, so all states are slated with the task of working out their end of the details. State Sen. Righter said the proposal will return the “struggling” program to a safety net for the poor, instead of a catch-all for the potentially ineligible.

“It’s struggling for the people who need it the worst,” he said. “We’re talking about the people who are on the lowest rungs of the economic ladder, the people for whom access is a truly critical issue. The people who aren’t mobile. People who can’t drive two hours and take a day off because it’s not a big deal to make sure that their child can get to a medical provider.”[2]

Raising lawmaker salaries

In May 2011, Illinois Senate lawmakers entertained a bill, SB2467, which included an “additional amounts per year” for select lawmakers: committee chairmen and committee minority spokesmen and spokeswomen. Sen. Dan Kotowski sponsored the measure.

The lump-sum appropriations in the proposal would increase pay for Senate committee chiefs by 14 percent. House committee bosses would see a 47-percent jump in pay. The increases were on top of the base $67,836 annual salaries that all lawmakers earn. Committee and leadership posts bring extra pay. In other words, more taxpayers’ money would be funneled into extra pay for select lawmakers, said Righter.

“So there’s some games being played here,” said Righter, a member of the Senate Executive Committee. “And sometimes that’s the way things happen — like this — is because (Democrats) want to do it before anyone really sees it.”

However, Kotowski said this move would restore the public’s good faith and trust to the government.

“We’re basically changing the existing law, to require legislators to work 12 days without getting paid,” he said. “That’s very, very, important, and that’s going to lead to reduction in salaries across the board this year and a total of saving $1.2 million for taxpayers.”

Lawmakers do want the public to notice when they cut their own pay, Righter and Kotowski said.

“But not this, the increasing the stipend (proposal), because it kind of makes it look like, ‘OK you’re taking it out of your pocket over here, but you’re going to shove your other pocket full,’” Righter said. “That’s what it looks like, like the outset that they’re trying to do here.”[3]

Presidential preference

Redistricting

During discussions about the redistricting process, Sen. Righter criticized a legislative maneuver referred as a shell bill. A shell bill is essentially a placeholder for latebreaking proposals. In May 2011, there was a chance the map would be placed in a shell bill and fast-tracked to a vote, possibly before the deadline at the end of the month.

"Putting shell bills in position like this is positioning the Democrat majority to be able to put a map out there, let it sit there for an hour, and blow it out of the General Assembly in less than a day," said Righter.[5]

Elections

2012

Righter won election in the 2012 election for Illinois State Senate District 55. Righter was unopposed in the Republican primary on March 20 and was unopposed in the general election which took place on November 6, 2012.[6][7][8]

The election took place on November 2, 2010. Righter ran unopposed in the Republican primary election on February 2nd.

2006

On November 7, 2006, Republican Dale Righter won re-election to the Illinois State Senate District 55. He ran unopposed receiving 57,705 votes.[10]

Illinois State Senate, District 55 (2006)

Candidates

Votes

Dale Righter (R)

57,705

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Righter is available dating back to 1998. Based on available campaign finance records, Righter raised a total of $2,945,401 during that time period. This information was last updated on July 18, 2013.[11]

Scorecards

Illinois Opportunity Project

The Illinois Opportunity Project, "an independent research and public policy enterprise that promotes legislative solutions in advance of free markets and free minds," annually releases its Legislative Vote Card, grading all members in both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly on the basis of their support of "pro-growth economic policies that increase personal freedom and reign in expansive government."[12][13]

2012

Righter received a score of 100.00 out of 100 in 2012 for a grade of A+ according to the IOP’s grading scale. His score was tied for the highest among all 59 members of the Illinois State Senate included in the Vote Card.[13]

Personal

Righter has two children.

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